The Dog and the Puppet
by Disney United
Summary: DISNEY PAIRING ROULETTE 3: Tramp sneaks on a train to Italy, gaining a new enemy along the way. However, once he meets a puppet in a trashcan, his mission of mischief-making turns into a race against time to return Pinocchio to his home, and to save his maker.
1. Chapter 1

**_Group 3: _Tramp** (Lady and the Tramp), **Pinocchio** (Pinocchio)

The conductor of the Night Train (better known to the locals as the "Nightmare Train"), pulled into the station in Florence, Italy. It had been a long night, as it always was. The trip from Paris to Florence was a long one, and unfortunately, the heating and cooling system in most of the cars had malfunctioned, making the trip through the mountains of Switzerland unbearable.

After making sure the breaks were securely locked, he climbed down to go oversee the passengers leaving.

However, as soon as the doors sprung open, a mangy grey mutt came charging out at break-neck speed, nearly knocking him over.

"Someone catch that dog!" he shouted to the workers that were lumbering around with peoples' luggage. But they were all too exhausted to do anything. Most of them were just wondering to themselves why the conductor wanted the obviously stray dog caught so bad.

Normally, the conductor wouldn't have minded a dog hitching a ride, but he was exhausted and absolutely furious at the fact that it had very nearly knocked him over. So he took after the dog.

They were truly a comical site: A large grey dog (that was rather clumsy) running around with his tongue hanging out, followed by the slightly obese train conductor, who was wearing his bright blue suit. They wove in between people, around kiosks, and over luggage carts. It seemed like nothing could stop the duo's frantic game of cat and mouse.

"Javert!" came a shout. The conductor suddenly skidded to a halt. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong time to do as such, for he ran into the spiraling metal things, falling awkwardly and getting tangled on top of it.

The dog barked at him triumphantly, a look coming across his face that was similar to a smirk. He then ran under the metal bars, quickly disappearing behind a building.

Javert made a growling noise, trying to pull his libs from the contraption. However, it occurred to him he had worse things to be worrying about, when he saw his large, mustached boss standing above him. "Javert…" he grumbled. "What are you doing?"

Javert yanked his arms free, though that didn't really help with anything. He just ended up flailing, causing the bars to turn round and round, until he fell on the ground. His boss quickly grabbed his shoulder, pulling him to his feet. "Stop making a fool of yourself!" he snapped.

Javert ignored him, gesturing towards the city. "There…there was…a dog."

The boss glared. "I don't care if there was a heard of cows! Get back to work, and stop acting like a fool!" he ordered, walking away. Javert glared at his boss's back, before turning to glare at the spot where the dog disappeared.

"I will get you, chien*," he said, walking back to his train.

**_A/N Yay! Part 3 of PAIRING ROULETTE! I love this series. XD_**

**_*Chien: dog in French_**

**_Any story idea in the Disney fandom? Send me a PM, or drop a review!_**

**_Please review!_**


	2. Chapter 2

Tramp let out a barking laugh, as he made his way from the train station. Humans could be so silly and foolish sometimes.

After a while of him trotting in between buildings and down alleys, Tramp paused, looking around. He wasn't quite sure where he was, but then again, he hadn't been in Italy before. That was one of the main reasons he had wanted to go to Italy; he had been pretty much everywhere else in the world, but not Italy.

He lifted his nose up, sniffing the air. One thing he had noticed about the various places he had went was the distinct smells that came with said places. America, for instance, smelled very fresh, like grass and dirt. England smelled strongly of factory smoke and meat, and France smelled mostly like unwashed bodies and strong floral perfumes. Italy smelled almost like a mixture of America and France; it smelled like flowers, though that smell seemed nice and natural.

Tramp continued making his way through the backstreets of Florence, though at a more leisurely pace. However, a different strong smell overtook the floral one: the smell of freshly carved wood, and leather. The smell was so sweet and tantalizing, that he felt the need to follow his nose to the source.

So through the winding alleys he wandered, a content look on his canine face. When he came to the place the smell was emanating from, he placed his paws up on the window, looking in.

There were several leather things in there: purses, wallets, belts, jewelry, coats, and shoes. But intermingled among the rich-smelling leathers were other trinkets, like wooden boxes, miniature toys, and dolls. When the door opened, a couple customers coming out, Tramp felt himself being drawn into the store by the smell itself. He didn't make it, however, because the glass door had already fallen shut.

He let out a huff, starting to walk away. But before he had gotten too far, loud angry voices traveled to his ears.

"Geppetto! What is this monstrosity?!" a furious voice demanded.

"He is what you asked for!" another voice replied. "You said you wanted a wooden doll like the ones in there!"

"But this isn't like the ones in the shop! This one has strings!"

The other voice sighed impatiently. "Yes. That's because he's a puppet."

"I know what he is!" the louder voice snapped. "But I didn't ask for a creepy little doll attached to tangled-up strings. I asked for cute and adorable dolls that attract business."

Tramp, interested, followed the voices to behind the shop. There, the two men stood. One of them, the quieter one, was wearing glasses, and held a tangled up doll in his hands. The other one was much larger than him, and was wearing a leather apron. He gestured to the doll.

"It has to go."

"What?!"

"It's bad for business," he replied gruffly. And with that, he took the puppet in his hand, tossing it into a trash heap, where it promptly disappeared. The bespectacled man stared at the larger one in shock and despair. The one in the apron grabbed the other one firmly on the upper arm, then, dragging him back into the store, slamming the door shut.

Tramp waited a second, before creeping more into the alleyway. He walked up to the back door to the shop, and sat down, his tail wagging slightly. He could never understood humans. He didn't know why they'd fight all the time, or why they were so serious about everything. He certainly couldn't understand how they could love someone one minute, and hate them the next. It just…didn't make any sense to him.

The sudden sound of trash hitting the ground behind him, accompanied by the clanging and scraping of something against metal made Tramp spring onto all fours, whirling around. The hair along his back and neck was standing straight up, and a low growl was coming from his throat.

The second he saw the head of whatever creature it was pop up on the side of the trashcan, Tramp attacked, jumping into the bin and pinning the creature to the floor.

**_A/N Poor Geppetto. I really like him...he's pretty young in this, in case you couldn't tell. BTW, his name is a bitch to spell. I have, like short term memory loss, with it._**

**_Please review!_**


	3. Chapter 3

Javert grumbled as he walked down the streets of Florence, heading to his apartment. He usually spent half his time in Paris, and half in Florence, resting in between train routes. After being railed by his boss, and fighting with that random dog, he was beyond ready to get home to his cat (Jean Valjean).

However, he paused in his tracks, when he heard a bit of barking coming from an alleyway. His eyes when he recognized the barking.

"Chien!" he exclaimed, running down the alleyway, he skidded to a stop, running into a few bins, which clanged and fell over.

"Oi!" came a shout, as a door flung open. The strong smell of leather and wood filled the alley. A large man wearing a leather apron stood in the doorway, a smaller man wearing glasses peaking around him. "What are you doing back here?!"

Javert blinked. "Where's the dog?" he asked, ignoring the other man's question.

The man wearing the leather apron scowled at him. "There is no dog! Now begone, before I bring the authorities into this!"

"S-sir..." the boy in glasses spoke up. The man in the leather apron's jaw clenched in frustration.

"What?!"

"I...I thought I heard barking as well-"

The boy was cut off, when he was cuffed about the ear. Javert winced.

Turning back to Javert, the apron-wearing man, scowled deeper. "Begone!" he repeated, raising his hand threateningly. Javert followed his advice.

The man in the leather apron watched as he fled, before ushering Geppetto back inside.

**_A/N Again I say this: Poor Geppetto. His name doesn't get easier to spell with time, I tell ya. _**

**_Please review!_**


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey! Hey! Get off me!" the creature exclaimed, surprising Tramp. When he pulled back, his eyes widened when he realized what "it" was.

"You…can talk?!" Tramp exclaimed, jumping out of the bin in surprise and shock.

The puppet doll appeared over the side of the bin, laying his arms over the side. He raised a painted eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing. Dogs aren't supposed to talk, right?"

Tramp blanched.

"Well? Are they?"

"Well, I don't...we can't talk to humans...?"

"Then how are you talking to me?" the puppet asked, looking genuinely confused. Tramp looked towards the mouth of the alleyway longingly, wondering if escaping this awkward conversation with the puppet was worth being caught by Javert.

"Well?" the puppet questioned once again.

"I...do you have a name?" Tramp asked, avoiding the question.

"Pinocchio," the puppet proclaimed proudly. "What about you."

"Well..." the silver-haired dog shifted awkwardly. "Most people call me Tramp."

Pinocchio winced. "That's kind of a horrible name."

"Yeah, well..." Tramp glanced once more towards the mouth of the alleyway. "I should be going-"

"And what about me?!" Pinocchio exclaimed, pulling himself fully out of the bin. He landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, his strings badly tangled.

"What about you?" Tramp asked, slowly backing away.

"What am I supposed to do? I can't just stay in the bin, for then I will be taken to the junkyard, surely!" Pinocchio exclaimed, looking scandalized by the mere thought.

"I don't know! It's not my problem!" Tramp exclaimed, before pausing. "Why don't you just go back into that wood-shop, or whatever."

"I can't," Pinocchio grumbled, though it sounded more like a whine. "I'm not wanted."

Tramp rolled his eyes, completely turning from the puppet. "Do what you like. As I said before: It's not my problem."

The puppet didn't say anything as Tramp walked away. However, suddenly strings wrapped around Tramp's neck, as a heavy wooden weight landed on his back.

Tramp yelped, trying to buck off the puppet. "Get off me!" he growled. The strings were still around his neck, but they weren't really that tight. Almost as if...

Tramp felt himself become slightly light-headed.

Pinocchio had tied his strings around his neck.

"Get off me!" Tramp yelped, trying to buck him off with renew vigor.

"No," Pinocchio replied stubbornly. "I'm coming with you."

Tramp turned his head to the side, glaring at the puppet. "I'm warning you..."

Pinocchio smiled down at him. "What are you going to do?"

Tramp growled at him, muttering profanities under his breath.

Pinocchio continued smiling. "That's what I thought. Now!" Pinocchio clapped his wooden hands together. "Let's go on an adventure!"

**_A/N And the adventure truly begins! Yay!_**

**_Please review!_**


	5. Chapter 5

"So! Where to?" Pinocchio questioned, as they trotted through the streets of Florence. Tramp grumbled something under his breath, trying to ignore the stares being shot at him.

Pinocchio slapped Tramp's side lightly. "Buck up!"

"Why don't you shut up?" Tramp muttered, before stating more loudly, "The only reason I'm allowing you to come along is that you gave me no choice."

Pinocchio rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a spoil sport! Let's do something fun!"

"Like what?"

Pinocchio paused in thought. "Um..."

Tramp rolled his eyes. "What did I expect? You've lived your entire wooden life in a shop."

Pinocchio pouted. "I've heard others talk about things. Like Geppetto! He talked all the time about when he was a kid, and his parents would take him to these amazing places...until the shop owner took him in as his apprentice..." Pinocchio hesitated, before snorting derisively. "But whatever. He abandoned me. I don't care."

"Yeah, whatever," Tramp said airily.

"Well...anyway, I know of a lot of fun things to do and fun places to go!" Pinocchio said confidently. "Like..." An idea suddenly popped into his head. "Yes! Let's go to the circus!"

Tramp winced. He had actually traveled in a circus for a while. He hadn't done much, only a small act with a few of the smaller children, and the circus was a small one, only traveling about the French countryside. It was a strange time in his life, not one that was happy, not one that was sad. He merely comfortably existed.

"-and all SORTS of elephants no doubt-"

"I don't know...Tramp muttered, unsure.

Pinocchio swung himself around, so his face was right in front Tramp's. The dog stumbled to a halt.

"Pleeeeeeease? It will be fun!"

Tramp sighed. "Fine. Let's go to the circus."

Pinocchio whooped in his victory, as they galloped off to find a circus.

**_A/N Yay! Who doesn't love a good circus?_**

**_Please review!_**


	6. Chapter 6

They were extremely lucky that there was a circus going on in the city center, right in front of Duomo. Streamers were hung all about, draped from buildings to lampposts, the bright colors contrasting greatly with the beige and tan buildings. In the center of the square where painters and various other artists normally were was a tall circus tent, the height almost as tall as Duomo itself.

Tramp's eyes narrowed as he looked at the crowd of humans milling around. He honestly disliked humans; they always seemed to look at him like he was something disgusting, because he was a stray. Being surrounded by all the people made him extremely uncomfortable, especially with the lingering threat of Javert. Speaking of which...

Tramp quickly darted behind a large group of teenagers who were leisurely smoking. Pinocchio almost fell off.

"Hey! What's-"

"Javert is here."

Pinocchio blinked. "Who?"

Tramp leaned around the people, gesturing at the man with his paw. "Him. He saw me getting off his train, and he got mad. He's been hunting me."

Pinocchio tilted his head slightly, looking at the man. Javert was standing stiffly at the entrance to the circus, his eyes darting around suspiciously at the bystanders. "Why?"

Tramp shrugged lopsidedly. "I don't know. But what I do know is that I can't be seen by him."

Pinocchio laughed slightly. "I don't think you'll have a problem with that. It looks like all of Florence has turned up."

Tramp shook his head. "No, I don't want to risk it. We'll have to sneak in."

Pinocchio sighed, but nodded in acceptance. The duo trotted around the outside of the crowd, both keeping their eyes trained on the man.

When they reached the back of the circus, Tramp froze, causing Pinocchio to fall off. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "What was that-"

He stopped talking, as he realized that they had stumbled upon the circus performers' camp...and that they were all currently staring right at them.

**_A/N Ooooh! The story escalates! Yay!_**

**_Please review!_**


	7. Chapter 7

Javert had thought about returning to his train, but he got a call that he didn't have to be back at his train for a few days still. In a way he was frustrated: He got paid whether he was running the train or not, but he truly loved his job. Ever since he was young he had loved trains; he often went up to the shop windows in Paris, staring at the expensive train sets, dreaming of owning one all his own.

However, he was also grateful for the break. He had been working seemingly constantly for what seemed like forever, and was completely exhausted. This little break was definitely welcome, especially if he could spend it doing a mindless, though semi-fun task of tracking down that troublesome mutt.

In an attempt to relax further on his spontaneous vacation (as well as be rid of the stress that the earlier meeting with the wood shop owner had caused), he went down to the city center, where he had heard a circus would be preforming.

He had always liked the circus, finding the mystical wonders of it fascinating to observe. So he decided to wait a bit before going in, looking at all the fun festivities going on outside the circus. He saw various dancers and jugglers preforming tricks and turning peoples' heads to them in awe. There were petite acrobats in their colorful uniforms milling about, somehow managing to use every available space in the crowd to contort themselves. He also saw several clowns milling about, their silly exploits making children and adults alike laugh. The point is, is that there was a wide variety of people, all looking some form of strange.

Therefore, he didn't question the silver-colored dog he glimpsed briefly, with the brightly colored marionette riding on his back.

Javert merely kept watch, as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky, bright diamond-like dots appearing in the sky. The crowd had thinned out quite a bit by them, everyone crowding into the circus tent.

Eventually, the ring master stuck his head out of the flaps of the door, beaming out from below his top hat.

"Show time!"

**_A/N Sorry for the shortness, but I don't want to make Javert's parts all that big, though they ARE necessary. Well...you'll see later. *smirks*_**

**_Please review!_**


	8. Chapter 8

"They're...so...CUTE!" was the exclamation that came from the crowd of gathered circus performers. Tramp and Pinocchio glanced at each other, eyes wide, as a group circled around them, eyes full of interest for the duo.

"What is this?"

"Are they an act?"

"They're adorable!"

"Is that a marionette?"

A loud voice boomed through the curtain that separated the area where they currently were from the inside of the tent. "What is going on out there?"

"Ringmaster!" a feminine voice chimed in. "You must see this!"

A large man wearing a top hat and tail coat emerged from the tent, his mouth pressed into a thin line. "What's this then?"

The crowd parted slightly, allowing Tramp and Pinocchio to be seen by the man. Tramp shifted slightly, backing away, whereas Pinocchio froze. The ringmaster looked at the duo, seemingly unimpressed.

"A dog with a puppet on it's back? That's what you called me back here for?"

"You have to admit it's unique," a strong-looking man replied, in a heavily accented voice. A couple acrobats near him nodded.

"And? I see lots of unique things every day," he said. "I am a ringmaster of a circus, and I have traveled all across the world with said circus."

"So? How often do you see an animatronic puppet riding on the back of a dog?" a grumpy looking clown asked.

The ringmaster glanced at the duo, especially Pinocchio. Tramp felt the puppet on his back tense slightly, causing him to worry. Tramp knew it was not a normal things for puppets to be able to move on their own; in fact, that happening was simply unheard of. In spite of his annoyance of the puppet for binding itself to him, he felt he had the duty to keep Pinocchio's secret...a secret.

The ringmaster didn't seem to notice the determination in the dog's eyes, nor the worry in the puppet's. He instead turned back to the gathered performers.

"What do you want me to do with them? Put them in the show?"

A couple of the acrobats looked at each other nodding excitedly. Their strong man smiled slightly below his mustache, as the other trainers and performers shrugged.

"You've got to be kidding me. The dog's not even trained!"

One of the children dressed up as a ballerina bent down, looking at them (far too close for Tramp's comfort). "She seems pretty trained to me."

Tramp barked.

"Oh. I believe you meant he," a man dressed up as a magician said, seeming to appear out of nothing behind Tramp.

He tucked his tail in between his legs, letting out a low growl. He hated having all these people in such close proximity to him, staring at him...

He jumped suddenly, when Pinocchio brought up a hand, patting Tramp's head.

After a pause, the ringmaster spoke once more. "No. It's too risky."

"Sir...if I may be speaking..." the strong man started. When the ringmaster gave him a nod, he said, "The circus has been...rather dull as of late. No offense for you to be having, sir," he added quickly. "But I am thinking that bringing in these two to...would spice things up with the crowd."

The ringmaster glared. "You think my circus is dull?"

The strong man waved his hands about, shaking his head. The petite acrobats beside him had to dodge his flailing arms. "No, no...is not the point I am making-"

The magician walked forward, an arrogant smirk on his face. He placed a hand on the strong man's shoulder. "He's meaning to say people aren't as energized as normal. A bit of unexpected spontaneity would be good; it would heighten the morale of all of us."

The ringmaster had to admit to himself, that everyone had seemed more...down lately. Perhaps this little burst of randomness would raise the morale of everyone.

"I...fine, fine. But I must go let people in; you handle things."

The circus performers nodded, smiling at the ringmaster as he left.

"Great! Now let's make these two circus material!" the ballerina girl said, as the circus performers gathered around Tramp and Pinocchio.

**_A/N Quite the adventure, ey? I hope you're all enjoying this!_**

**_Please review!_**


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